Apparatus for handling bundles of wire



-March 10, 1964 W. A. BREEDON ETAL APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BUNDLES OF WIRE Filed Dec. 20, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 nvvnv TORS Hf/LL A. BREEDON,

WILLIAM J. sc/ws TER and F SCI/WA RTZ A Homer March 10, 1964 w. A. .BREEDON ETAL 3,124,261

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BUNDLES OF WIRE Filed Dec. 20, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 HVVENTORS W/LL A.BREEDON, WILL/AM J. SCHUSTE'H and GEORGE ESCHWARTZ y Attorney March 10, 1964 w. A. BREEDON ETAL 3,124,261

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BUNDLES OF WIRE Filed Dec. 20, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet s INVENTORS WILL ABREEDON, WILL/AM J. .SCHUSTER and GEORGE E SCHWARTZ By M/g %Affainev March 10, 1964 w, A. BREEDON ETAL 3,124,261

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BUNDLES OF WIRE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Dec. 20, 1962 INVENTORS WILL A. BREEDO/V, WILL/AM J. SCHUSTERd/Id GEORGE E SCHWARTZ -ooooooooo Unitcd States Patent APPARATUE FOR HANDLING BUNDLES 0F WIRE Will A. Breedon, South Euclid, William J. Schuster,

(limsted Falls, and George F. Schwartz, Cleveland,

Ohio, assignors to United States Steel Corporation, a

corporation of New Jersey Filed Dec. 20, 1%2, Ser. No. 246,188 8 Claims. (Cl. 214-130) This invention relates to apparatus for handling bundles of wire or rod. Wire or rod coming from processing equipment, such as annealing lines, is received as bundles on a stern which is arranged with its axis vertical. For further processing and/or storage it is normally customary to transport the bundles by means of a tractor having a horizontal ram for receiving the bundles. In order to accomplish this, it is necessary to remove the bundles from the stems and to change the position of the bundles so that their axes are horizontal rather than vertical. Devices suitable for this purpose have been developed, such as that shown in Ray et al. Patent No. 2,964,203 dated December 13, 1960. However, all the devices of which we have knowledge have various disadvantages. They may be complicated and expensive or they may require a great deal of space for installation and operation.

It is therefore an object of our invention to provide apparatus for removing bundles of wire or rod from a stem and placing them in a position where they can be received on a tractor ram, which apparatus is relatively simple in construction and relatively inexpensive.

Another object is to provide such apparatus which requires a relatively small amount of space for installation and operation.

These and other objects will be more apparent after referring to the following specification and attached drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevation of our device, partly in section, showing it in position for receiving a loaded stem which is shown in broken lines;

FIGURE 2 is a view similar to FIGURE 1 showing the device in stripping position;

FIGURE 3 is a view looking toward the left end of FIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged View of a portion of FIG- URE 2;

FIGURE 5 is a view taken on the line V-V of FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a View taken on the line VIVI of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 7 is a view taken on the line VIIVII of FIGURE 1.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, reference numeral 2 indicates a stem for receiving bundles of wire W. The stem 2 includes a mandrel formed of four posts 3 extending between and welded to base plate 4 and top plate 5. The base plate 4 has diametrically opposed slots 6 therein and top plate 5 has diametrically opposed V-shaped cut-outs 7 therein arranged 90 from the slots 6. Two parallel channels 8 are welded to the underside of plate 4 generally normal to the slots 6. Each of the channels has its upper flange welded to the plate 4, its web extending downwardly and its lower flange generally parallel to the plate 4.

The upender and stripper of our invention includes a trunnion stand 10 consisting of a base frame 12 connecting two spaced apart vertical uprights 14 each having a bearing 16 supported at the top thereof. A frame 13 is pivotally mounted in bearings 16 by means of trunnions 20. Referring to the position of the parts as shown in FIGURE 1, the frame 18 includes two side plates 22 connected by means of bottom plate 24 and back plate 3,324,261 Patented Mar. 10, I964 26. To the top of bottom plate 24 are attached two spaced apart rails 28 which provide spaces 30 for receiving the bottom flanges of channels 3. A stop 32 is attached to the top of plate 24 at that end of each rail 28 adjacent the back plate 26. Each side plate 22 has a vertical elongated opening 34 therein with tracks 36 be ing mounted therein. A cradle 38, which is essentially half a cylinder, has a portion 4i extending over each opening 34. A pair of wheels 42, mounted on each portion 4%, are supported in tracks 36. A pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms 44 are fastened to the bottom of cradle 38 adjacent the open end thereof.

An electric motor 46 is mounted on the base frame 12 and drives sprockets 48 through couplings 5t and gear reducer 52. Each sprocket 43 is in mesh with a chain 54 having its ends connected to frame 18. Thus, as the motor 46 is rotated, the frame 13 will pivot about the axes of trunnions 29.

An electric motor 56 is mounted on the rear of plate 26 and through couplings 58 and 59 and gear reducer 60 drives sprockets 62. A chain 64- passes around each sprocket 62 and sprockets 66 and 68 mounted on side plates 22. The ends of each chain 6d are attached to a bracket 70 which is attached to cradle 38 on the outside of tracks 36. Hence, when motor 56 is rotated, the cradle 38 is caused to move along tracks 36. Limit switches 72 and '74 may be mounted on frame 18 adjacent tracks 36 for actuation by bracket 76 in order to stop movement of the cradle 38 at both limits of its travel. However, motor 56 may be started and stopped manually.

In operation, with the parts in the loading position shown in FIGURE 1 a tractor places a loaded stem 2 on the base plate 2 with its channels 8 being received beneath rails 28 and abutting stops 32. The motor 46 is then operated to cause frame 18 to pivot about the axes of trunnions 20. When the frame 13 has rotated through an angle of so that the cradle 3% is in the horizontal position shown in FIGURE 2, the motor is stopped and the motor 56 started. This advances cradle 38 toward the outer end of tracks 36 and as the cradle advances the stripping arms 44 contact the bottom of bundle W and strip it from the stem 2. The stops 32 prevent the stem 2 from falling downwardly in this position. Tractor ram 76 is positioned as shown in FIG- URES 2 and 3 so that the rod bundle W is carried over it as the cradle 38 moves outwardly. At the end of movement of cradle 33 the bundle is in position on the ram 76 so that it can be transported to the desired position. The parts are then returned to their original positions and the empty stem removed. The device is then ready to receive another loaded stem. As best shown in FIGURE 3 it will be seen that the stripping arms 44- are aligned with the slots 6 so that movement of the cradle can take place without interference from base plate 4 and that the V-shaped cut-out '7 provides clearance so that the tractor ram 76 can pass the top plate 5 and be received within the eye of bundle W.

While one embodiment of our invention has been shown and described, it will be apparent that other adaptations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for handling bundles of wire or the like comprising a stem for receiving a bundle of wire, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates and a bottom plate, said bottom plate extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotally supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, means on said bottom plate for detachably receiving said stem, tracks on said pivoted frame extending generally normal to said bottom plate, a cradle between said side plates, means for supporting said cradle on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fastened to said cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bundle from said stem.

2. Apparatus for handling bundles of wire or the like comprising a stem for receiving a bundle of wire, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates and a bottom plate, said bottom plate extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotaliy supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, means on said bottom plate for detachably receiving said stern, each of said side plates having a longitudinal opening therein extending generally normal to said bottom plate, tracks mounted in each of said longitudinal openings, means for supporting said cradle on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fastened to said cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bundle from said stem.

3, Apparatus for handling bundles of Wire or the like comprising a stern, said stem including a base plate and a mandrel for receiving a bundle of wire thereover, said base plate having diametrically opposed slots therein, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates and a bottom plate, said bottom plate extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotally supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, means on said bottom plate for detachably receiving said stern, tracks on said pivoted frame extending generally normal to said bottom plate, a cradle between said side plates, means for supporting said cradle on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fastened to said cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, said stripper arms being aligned with said slots when a stem is mounted on said frame, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bundle from said stem.

4. Apparatus for handling bundles of wire or the like comprising a stem, said stem including a base plate and a mandrel for receiving a bundle of Wire thereover, said base plate having diametrically opposed slots therein, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates and a bottom plate, said bottom plate extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotally supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, means on said bottom plate for detachably receivingsaid stern, each of said side plates having a longitudinal opening therein extending generally normal to said bottom plate, tracks mounted in each of said longitudinal openings, means for supporting said cradle on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fastened to said cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, said stripper arms being aligned with said slots when a stem is mounted on said frame, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bundle from said stem.

5. Apparatus for handling bundles of wire or the like comprising a stem, said stem including a base plate, a mandrel for receiving a bundle of wire thereover, said base plate having diametrically opposed slots therein, a pair of spaced apart webs fastened to said base plate and extending therefrom on the side opposite said mandrel generally normal to said slots and a flange on the end of each web generally parallel to said base plate, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates and a bottom plate, said bottom plate extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotally supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, a pair of spaced apart rails fastened to the top of said bottom plate extending generally parallel to said side plates and providing spaces for receiving said flanges of said stem, means for limiting movement of said flanges and stem toward said back plate, tracks on said pivoted frame extending generally normal to said bottom plate, a cradle between said side plates, means for supporting said cradle on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fastened to said cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, said stripper arms being aligned with said slots when a stem is mounted on said frame, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bundle from said stem.

6. Apparatus for handling bundles of wire or the like comprising a stem, said stem including a base plate, a mandrel for receiving a bundle of wire thereover, said base plate having diametrically opposed slots therein, a pair of spaced apart webs fastened to said base plate and extending therefrom on the side opposite said mandrel generally normal to said slots and a flange on the end of each web generally parallel to said base plate, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates and a bottom plate, said bottom plate extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotally supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, a pair of spaced apart rails fastened to the top of said bottom plate extending generally parallel to said side plates and providing spaces for receiving said flanges of said stem, means for limiting movement of said flanges and stem toward said back plate, each of said side plates having a longitudinal opening therein extending generally normal to said bottom plate, tracks mounted in each of said longitudinal openings, means for supporting said cradle on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fastened to said cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, said stripper arms being aligned with said slots when a stem is mounted on said frame, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bundle from said stem.

7. Apparatus for handling bundles of wire or the like comprising a stem, said stem including a base plate, a top plate, a mandrel for receiving a bundle of wire thereover, said base plate having diametrically opposed slots therein, said top plate having diametrically opposed cut out portions therein arranged approximately from said slots, a pair of spaced apart webs fastened to said base plate and extending therefrom on the side opposite said mandrel generally normal to said slots and a flange on the end of each web generally parallel to said base plate, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates, a back plate and a bottom plate, said back and bottom plates extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotally supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, a pair of spaced apart rails fastened to the top of said bottom plate extending generally parallel to said side plates and providing spaces for receiving said flanges of said stem, means for limiting movement of said flanges and stem toward said back plate, tracks on said pivoted frame extending generally normal to said bottom plate, a cradle between said side plates, means for supporting said cradle on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fastened tosaid cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, said stripper arms being aligned with said slots when a stem is mounted on said frame, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bun dle from said stern.

8. Apparatus for handling bundles of wire or the like comprising a stem, said stem including a base plate, a top plate, a mandrel for receiving a bundle of wire thereover, said base plate having diametrically opposed slots therein, said top plate having diametrically opposed cut out portions therein arranged approximately 90 from said slots, a pair of spaced apart webs fastened to said base plate and extending therefrom on the side opposite said mandrel generally normal to said slots and a flange on the end of each Web generally parallel to said base plate, a pivoted frame having spaced apart side plates, a back plate and a bottom plate, said back and bottom plates extending between and fastened to said side plates, means pivotally supporting said frame about an axis substantially normal to said side plates, means for moving said frame from a position where the bottom plate is substantially horizontal to a position where it is substantially vertical, a pair of spaced apart rails fastened to the top of said bottom plate extending generally parallel to said side plates and providing spaces for receiving said flanges of said stem, means for limiting movement of said flanges and stem toward said back plate, each of said side plates having a longitudinal opening therein extending generally normal to said bottom plate on the side of said pivotally supporting means opposite said back plate, tracks mounted in each of said longitudinal openings, a cradle between said side plates, two pairs of wheels attached to opposite sides of said cradle and supported on said tracks, a pair of diametrically opposed stripper arms fiastened to said cradle at the end adjacent said bottom plate, said stripper arms being aligned with said slots when a stem is mounted on said frame, and means for moving said carriage along said tracks when said bottom plate is in vertical position to strip said bundle from said stem.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

1. APPARATUS FOR HANDLING BUNDLES OF WIRE OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A STEM FOR RECEIVING A BUNDLE OF WIRE, A PIVOTED FRAME HAVING SPACED APART SIDE PLATES AND A BOTTOM PLATE, SAID BOTTOM PLATE EXTENDING BETWEEN AND FASTENED TO SAID SIDE PLATES, MEANS PIVOTALLY SUPPORTING SAID FRAME ABOUT AN AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY NORMAL TO SAID SIDE PLATES, MEANS FOR MOVING SAID FRAME FROM A POSITION WHERE THE BOTTOM PLATE IS SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL TO A POSITION WHERE IT IS SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL, MEANS ON SAID BOTTOM PLATE FOR DETACHABLY RECEIVING SAID STEM, TRACKS ON SAID PIVOTED FRAME EXTENDING GENERALLY NORMAL TO SAID BOTTOM PLATE, A CRADLE BETWEEN SAID SIDE PLATES, MEANS FOR SUPPORTING SAID CRADLE ON SAID TRACKS, A PAIR OF DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED STRIPPER ARMS FASTENED TO SAID CRADLE AT THE END ADJACENT SAID BOTTOM PLATE, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIAGE ALONG 